Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Where She Went by Gayle Forman

Release Date: April 2011
Publisher: Penguin Group
Pages: 208
Overall: 


Where She Went is the perfect read, filled with romance, emotion, and music. Gayle Forman's book, the sequel to the highly praised If I Stay, is much more than a mass marketed teen love story and will lure you in immediately with it's angsty point of view and suspense of what'll come to be with the two characters in the end.

The sequel begins a while after the last one left off. In the first book of the series, Mia and Adam, the two main characters, are in a hospital. Mia, after being in a coma, wakes up to a promise. A promise Adam swore he'd keep if she lived. And she did. But it might not have been for the better, because in the period of time skipped between the two books, Mia has gone off to Juilliard and Adam is about to tour the world with his uprising band. The two have gone their separate ways with no real reason.

If I Stay was told from Mia's point of view, however Where She Went is told from Adam's perspective. I usually hate it when authors feel the need to switch point of views between books, but in this case, it was a crazy good idea! It gave insight as to how Adam was feeling, and helped develop a connection to is character. It brought depth and real, raw emotion to the story and showed the characters as realistically as possible.

Right from the beginning of the novel, you can tell Adam has his issues with how he's living his life. It seems like he's living for other people, not for himself. He doesn't show his true feelings, pulls himself away from others, and surprisingly doesn't want the rock star life he's been given. And there's a reason for all of this: Mia. He's distraught from her pulling away from him with no explanation. Though he'd pushed those feelings away in the back of his mind, she still lingers and is the true reason behind all of his troubles. But then she enters his life again spontaneously, and all is thrown into a bundle of chaos. With this once in a lifetime chance, the two spend the night together in New York talking, exploring Mia's favorite secret locations, and even, yes, reconnecting. And thank god their reunion was plausible! I can't tell you how many books I've read where the characters see each other again and boom, they're back together, nothing is awkward and all negative feelings vanish. This book wasn't anything like that. Like I said before, it was realistic! And I enjoyed every sentence of it.

Where She Went is a wonderful and appealing novel written by a talented author. I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend the series to anyone looking for a fresh, and realistic read. I'll definitely be reading this one again. In fact, I'm thinking about skimming through my favorite parts right after I finish this!

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If I Stay by Gayle Forman

As promised, here is the review to Gayle Forman's If I Stay.

In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeen year- old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she finds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make-and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

When I first picked this up, I was a little disappointed at the size, worried that parts of the novel would be rushed or details might be left out, but it was the complete opposite. Everything was explained thoroughly and I was never confused at something, or left wondering what happened.

Originality was shown superbly throughout the novel and in the plot line itself. The writing was fantastic and easy to understand. I never wanted to put the book down. And I never once got bored like I do while reading sometimes.

While Mia is experiencing an outside body experience she contemplates on whether to wake up or not after a kind nurse tells her grandparents that it is her choice, if she stays or if she goes. And just when she's ready to let go, to join her family on the other side, a problem presents itself. Someone needs her and begs her not to let go.

Mia's decision is made at the end when she realizes something. And even though I was happy to see it end the way it did, I felt like there could have been more. Maybe an elaboration on her music situation, or her relationship with Adam. But maybe that's what Gayle Forman wanted to do, allow the readers to predict their own endings. Either way, I was happy with the ending, but felt that maybe there could have been more.

After reading this, I'm sure that there couldn't have been a better title. If I Stay was just perfect. And it was a great read, it'll definitely be on my mind for a while.

Ratings:

Writing: 5/5
Story: 5/5
Characters: 4/5
Cover: 4/5

In My Mailbox (1)

So glad I got this :] I've already read it and it was amazing.

In My Mailbox originated from The Story Siren. Go check out her mailbox.

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If I Stay by Gayle Forman

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In a single moment, everything changes. Seventeenyear- old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall riding along the snow-wet Oregon road with her family. Then, in a blink, she fi nds herself watching as her own damaged body is taken from the wreck...
A sophisticated, layered, and heartachingly beautiful story about the power of family and friends, the choices we all make-and the ultimate choice Mia commands.

Review coming soon.